Zero-setting device



June 16, 1936. w. J. PEARSON ZERO-SETTING DEVICE Filed Oo'c. 23, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet l Nm fm m NN @u INVENTOR BY M//M/n @fov/i ATTORNEY m m wm O O June 16, 1936. W J. PEARSON 2,044,756

ZERO-SETTING DEVICE Filed OC. 25, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR W//M'm L/ @0k/Jan.) BY

ATTORNEY June 16, 1936. W, 1 PEARSQN 2,044,756

ZERO-SETTING DEVICE Filed Oct. 25, 1931. 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Fig: 5.

Figa. 2r 2l o o o O O o O O O o O O C O O O O 56 5455 7? O o o' o' o O 6'/- ATTORNEY .hln S, W `1 PEARSON ZERO-SETTING DEVICE Filed Oct. 25, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented June 16, 1936 UNITED STATES y 2,044,156 zeno-same nlzvrcn William J. Pearson. Los Angeles, Calif., assignor to Postal Automatic Machines, Inc., a corporation oi' Delaware Application October 23, 1931, Seal" No. 570,621

4 Claims. (Cl. 235-144) This invention relates to control registers adapted to be used in conjunction with any machine or mechanism wherein it is desired to control the operations thereof by means of a device which may be set for a predetermined number. and which will function to actuate any desired operation upon the exhaustion of the pre-set number, but is more especially designed to be used in conjunction with a parcel post machine such as is disclosed in my co-pending application Serial Number 367,106, iiled May 29, 1929, by William J. Pearson, entitled Parcel post weighing and stamp printing machine, and may be actuated by mechanism as disclosed in my co-pendl5 ing application titled Meter actuating mechanism, Serial No. 570,620, led October 23, 1931.

The parcel post weighing and stamp printing machine just recited is designed for printing purposes, more particularly the printing of metered parcel post stamps, wherein it may be required to print a stamp bearing the name o1 the place ci original mailing, the date, the zone number to which the package is addressed, the weight of the package, the monetary value of the stamp derived from the weight and the zone, a serial number, and such other words, phrases, gures, decorations and designations as it may be desired to print.

This invention is particularly designed to be 90 used with mechanism in which the monetary value of the stamp is set up on type within the machine by the operation of selected keys on a keyboard and is also designed to be used in conjunction with a registering device which continuously registers within a set of numeral wheels the monetary values of the stamps printed; and also with a control register, which may be set for a predetermined monetary value, and which upon the exhaustion of the set amount will function to lock the entire machine against use until again so set, and may be so disposed as to actuate any other mechanism that may be desired.

An object of my invention is to provide a control register which upon exhaustion of the preset amount will actuate locking mechanism or the like, which mechanism will remain in such locked relation as to cause the entire machine to remain locked until the control register is reset for another amount of postage by authorized agents.

An object of my invention is to provide a register which may be unlocked, the pinions released from engagement with the numeral wheels, and each of the numeral wheels rotated independently of the others for the purpose of setting into will of the agency setting the register, and upon the completion oi.' the setting of the register, the register, including the resetting mechanism, may be again locked against access.

To the above purposes my invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement and com- 10 blnation o! parts as hereinafter described, pointed out in my claims and illustrated by the accompanying drawings in which,

Fig. 1 is a iront elevation of the control register and the register actuating mechanism.` 15

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the same control register, with certain parts broken away to expose other hidden parts.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the control register.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged view oi two of the numeral 20 wheels which contain the double. ratchet drive and carry-over, with one wheel sectioned to expose the interior arrangement.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged View of one of the numeral wheels showing the internal ratchet. 25 f Fig. 6 is an end elevation oi the control register frame from the right showing parts of the reset mechanism.

Fig. 'I is a sectional view of the control register taken from the right at approximately lines 30 I--T in Fig. 3 showing the arrangement and disposition of the gearing or the register.

The invention is illustrated as applied to a machine having a base plate I0 and frames I2, I3, for supporting elenents of the machine, the whole being enclosed in a casing II, a portion of which is shown in Fig. 1. The frame I3 supports the control register.

The control register disclosed comprises six numeral wheels I4, I5, I6, I1, I8 and I9,oi' which wheel I 6 is sectioned to show construction, all rotatably mounted on shaft 20, supported in trame I 3. Each of the numeral wheels is provided with a carry-over gear 2|; in the case of wheels I'I, I8 and I9 the gears are secured directly to the numeral wheels, but in numeral wheels I4, I5 and I6 the gears 2I are drive connected by means of an internal ratchet comprising a sleeve shaft 22, carrying a ratchet bearing plate 23, on which are mounted pawls 24 engaging in internal ratchet teeth 25 on the inside face 26 of each of the numeral wheels I4, I5 and I6. Engaging each of the carry-over gears 2| are carry-over pinions 2l rotatably mounted on shaft za mounted 1n carriage 2s, said carriage 2s be- 55 ing rockably mounted by shaft 30, to which it is secured, for the purpose of enabling the pinions 21 to be disengaged from the carry-over gears 2| for the resetting of the register. The carriage 29 is retained in gear engaging position with pinions 21 meshing with gears 2| by means of cam 32 mounted on shaft 3|. When the cam 32 (Figs. 2 and 7) is moved away from frame 29 by turning shaft 3|, the free end of trarne 29 swings downwardly under the influence of spring |29 and carries the pinions 21 away from gears 2| to non-engaging position, the pinions 21 falling on shaft 3| which engages between the teeth of the pinions and holds them in position both to be re-engaged and against rotation while disengaged. Numeral wheel I4 has a carry-over gear wheel 2| which is used in the resetting mecha- Each of the carry-over gears 2| is engaged with an intermediate resetting gear 33, of which there are six, all rotatably mounted on a shaft 34, and adapted to be selectively engaged by a sliding gear 36 secured to a slidable and rotatable shaft 31, the end of which projects into proximity to and in alignment with an opening in the casing and is fitted to receive a knurled turning handle 38, so that the operator may, by manipulation of handle 38, place the gear 36 into engagement with any one of the gears 33 for resetting the carry-over gear 2|. The lock bolt 40 (Figs. 1 and 6) is telescopically positioned in a lock lcasing 94 xed to a bracket 95 on the support I3 (Fig. 2). The l'ower end of bolt 40 bears upon eccentric 96. When the lock 39 is in its normal position (as shown in Fig. 6) the position of the eccentric 96 forces bolt 40 upwardly through the casing 40 to seat its upper end in a recess 91 in shaft 31 to hold shaft 31 against axial or rotative movement. When the lock 39 is turned by its key to unlock the shaft 31, the turning movement turns the eccentric 96 and removes its high portion from beneath the bolt lill. The spring 98 within the lock casing'gd, which tends to press the bolt 40 against .the eccentric, thereupon moves the bolt in that direction and consequently withdraws it from recess 91 thereby freeing the shaft and permitting it to be moved by the handle 38, axially to adjust the gear 36 to a selective operative position in engagement with one of the gears 2| and rotatively to rotate gear 36 for,resetting the selected gear 2|. To prevent operation of the resetting device except by an authorized agent there is provided a locking element 39 which is permanently secured to the base l0 by a portion of casing Il; the other portions of the casing Il are locked against unauthorized access by means not shown. When turned to the left in Fig. 6, the key operated locking element 39 through link |39, pin |00 and link |3| turns shaft 3| bringing its cam 32 into engagement with the rockable frame 29 and swinging the frame upwardly, to bring the carry-over pinions 21 into mesh with the carry-over gears 2| (Fig. 7); the lock 39 thus positively locks the pinions 21 into mesh with the numeral wheels; lock 39 also operates lock bolt 46 to engage in a stop recess (not shown) in the shaft 31 thus :preventing operation of the resetting device; upon key lock operation to release the register for resetting, the locking elements operate to reset and release the locking mechanism 0perated by boss 66 of the register to prevent further operation of the machine when the preset amount has been exhausted in the register.

In addition to the recited carry-over gears 2|,

No. 570,620, led October 23, 1931.

'I'his meter is provided with means to allow the carry-over from one register wheel to the next succeeding wheel without interference from the drive elements comprising the ratchet elements, and in addition the actuation of the register by the register actuating mechanism is so arranged that each register wheel is actuated individually and consecutively, thus allowing an interval of time between each drive action to each wheel for the necessary carry-over operation of the rotation of the next succeeding numeral Wheel, without interference from the operation of the drive gear before or while the carry-over operation is occurring.

The racks 52, 53, and 54, a part of the register actuating mechanism, are actuated by the raising of the elevators 55, 56, and 51. which have been previously actuated to a setup relation through the various connections from the keyboard (not shown), including the gearing 58.

For the introduction into the registers of the mechanical equivalent number set-up, there is provided a set of cams, and as disclosed in this form there are three cams 59, 60 and 6| set to contact their respective elevators in sequence, thus providing the recited successive drive movement. These cams are mounted on 4a cam shaft 62 which is driven by extensions oi' the drive element. To'insure the positive return of all of the actuating members to their original positions after a register actuating operation, there is provided on the drive element 63 a cam device 64 which through its connections operates levers 65 to mechanically return the racks 52, 53 and 54 to their original position.

To enable the control register to control the operations of the machine upon exhaustion of the amount for which it has been set, there is provided a locking mechanism comprising a boss 66 located on the edge of the last or highest count numeral wheel, so related to the rotation of gures upon the numeral wheels that upon exhaustion of the register and the final turn over from zero to the nines, which, being operated in reverse direction, would be equal to the turn of the Wheels from all nines to all zeros upon inserting into the register sucient numbers to exceed its capacity, the boss 66 is rotated to a position where it will contact and actuate a pivotally mounted trip element 61 provided for that purpose; trip 61 has at its other edge on the same end relative to its pivot point a foot 68; when the trip 61 is operated by boss 66 foot 68 moves out from under the drive bar 69; the drive bar being spring tensioned drops when thus released so that a pin 10 thereon is positioned to be engaged and moved longitudinally by a cam lever 1| secured on the shaft 12 upon rotation 0f the shaft by the cam 64 through its engagement with the cam roller rotatably lmounted upon an arm 9| xed to shaft 12 and projecting therefrom to position roller 90 to one side of the shaft, as shown in Fig. 1. By this arrangement arm 9| acts as a. lever arm through which rotation of shaft 63 and cam B4 causes a vertical movement of the roller 90 bearing upon cam 64 and a consequent oscillation of arm 9| and shaft 12. This structure is shown and described in my copending application Serial No. 570,620, led October 23, 1931.

The cam 64 engaging to actuate shaft 72 only at the completion of a printing operation consequently operates to engage pin 10 and thereby move the drive bar 69 in a longitudinal direction which operation actuates locking elements, not shown, which lock the machine against operation until the control register is again set for additional operation.

Thus there is provided a locking means whereby the machine may be locked against further operations upon or after the exhaustion of the number set into the control register.

Upon the operation of resetting the control register, the locking members are released and returned to normal position, by means of elements extended from the lock Sii and its connections, these elements including a crank-shaft i3 to which is connected drive bar ill attached to lever l5. This lever is secured to and operates shaft 75, to one end of which is secured a setting lever 'll designed to contact the drive bar E9 and raise it out of the path of the cam lever 'l l. Upon subsequent setting of the register numeral Wheels and the consequent turning of the last numeral Wheel i9 upon which the boss is situated, the

removal of the boss 66 will allow the trip @i to again take its normal position in the path of the boss SS, which position sets the foot under the drive bar 69, thus maintaining it in a position removed from the path of the cam lever 'a' l To prevent frictional drag or back play or reverse movement of the numeral wheels either While being operated or when being reset, and to provide means for centering automatically the numerals on the register Wheels While being reset, there is provided a set of spring retainers or pawls I9 mounted on a shaft i8 and operating against the gear Wheels 33.

While the form of mechanism here shown and described, is admirably adapted to fulfill the 0bjects primarily stated, it is to be understood that it is not intended to confine the invention to the one form of embodiment herein disclosed, for it is susceptible of embodiment in various forms, all coming Within the scope of the claims which follow.

I claim:

1. In a control register, a series of numeral wheels, carry-over pinions for said numeral wheels, means supporting said carry-over pinions and normally positioning said pinions in engagement with said numeral wheels, reset means including a slidably mounted rotatable shaft, a toothed element on said shaft adapted to be selectively positioned by axial adjustment of said shaft to engage one of said numeral Wheels, means normally holding said shaft against axial or rotative movement with said toothed element in disengaged position, and means for removing said pinions from engagement with said numeral Wheels and for releasing said shaft to permit said toothed element to be engaged with said numeral Wheels for resetting said numeral wheels.

2. In a control register, a series of numeral Wheels, carry-over pinions for said numeral wheels, a rockably mounted support for said carry-over pinions normally positioning said pinions in engagement with said numeral wheels, reset means including a rotatable shaft, means normally holding said shaft againstl movement, a rotatable control shaft operatively connected with said holding means and said support and manually operable means for operating said control shaft for simultaneously rocking said support to remove said pinions from said numeral wheels and releasing said shaft to permit resetting of said numeral Wheels.

3. In a control register, a series of numeral wheels, carry-over pinions for said numeral Wheels, means supporting said carry-over pinions and normally positioning said pinions in engagef ment with said numeral wheels, reset means including a rotatable shaft, means normally locking said shaft against movement, a manually operable key lock, and means controlled by said key lock for removing said pinions from engagement with said numeral wheels and for releasing said shaft to permit resetting of said numeral Wheels.

4. In a control register, a series of numeral wheels, carry-over pinions for said numeral Wheels, means supporting said carry-over pinions and normally positioning said pinions in engagement with said numeral wheels, reset means including a slidably mounted rotatable shaft, a toothed element on said shaft adapted to be selectively positioned by axial adjustment of said shaft to engage one of said numeral Wheels, a shaft lock normally engaging said shaft and holding said shaft against axial or rotative movement With said toothed element in disengaged position,

and a manually operable key lock operatively connected with and controlling said pinion-supporting means and said shaft lock for removing said pinions from engagement With said numeral wheels and releasing said shaft lock'from said shaft.

WILLIAM J. PEARSON. 

